Mulund

Mumbai Congress leaders held a protest outside Mulund Railway Station on Thursday. They demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral irregularities.

Nearly 13 crore voters have been deleted from electoral rolls across the country. Critics have called this process "vote chori." The issue has brought back a key debate, what did the framers of the Constitution actually want for the Election Commission?

What Ambedkar said back in 1949

Back in 1949, Dr B.R. Ambedkar addressed the Constituent Assembly on two dates, January 8 and June 15. He said one thing clearly, hitting the right age was the only thing needed to get on the voter list. No person should be left out because of a local government's bias or an officer's mood, he warned.

Ambedkar also warned against letting low-level officials remove names from voter rolls. Giving a village Patwari the power to decide who is of unsound mind, he said, is like making a cabin boy the captain of a ship.

The makers of the Constitution wanted an independent Election Commission, free from government interference. Shibban Lal Saxena even suggested that the CEC's appointment be confirmed by a two-thirds majority of both Houses. This way, no party-man could easily take the post. That suggestion was never adopted. Today it feels painfully relevant.